Muthyalamaduvu, Bangalore.

The idea of going to Muthyalamaduvu sounded interesting for the following reasons:
1. It has a waterfall surrounded by dense forests.
2. Its just 40 kms from Bangalore.
3. The best way to beat the monotony of my mundane life.

I found that July may not be the right time to go to this place. August, with the monsoons in all its fury, is definitely a good time to watch the waterfall. Yet, I was determined to go ahead with the idea. I called-in a good ol' friend around noon and we set out around 2PM with enough protection for the rain...just in case!!!

Bannerghatta Road is the exit out of the city. The road is decent, once you leave the city behind. The only problem was the countless number of speed-breakers. Its a real pity that you cannot drive on the fifth gear for more than 15 minutes at a stretch. The first milestone we were looking for was Anekal. After you cross Anakel, unless you are a little careful, you might miss a signboard on the right that directs you to a resort somewhere near Muthyalamaduvu. Our worst fears of bad roads, or rather no roads became a reality, when we saw a muddy and slushy road ahead. There was no pukka road for at least half a kilometer. And then to our relief we found a freshly laid road ahead of us which can put the Bannerghatta Road to shame. From here it was a much smoother ride of about 5-6 kms. Soon the landscape started changing, and we knew we were getting closer to our destination.

After a Rs.30 Tollgate ticket and a Rs.20 Parking Ticket, we started to make our way down to where the waterfall is. The long and winding descent of steps finally ended near the foot of what was supposed to be the Muthyalamaduvu waterfalls. The term Waterfalls is highly over-rated out here. What we saw there was a tiny streak of water trickling down, as if somebody had left a tap open somewhere up there. This was a major disappointment. I knew better not to expect much water, but I was not ready to see No-Water.

After a bit of curse-the-world we decided to just limber around. Luckily, we found a pathway that apparently lead to the top of the mountain on the other side and we decided to trek it. Confident that my past few weeks of working-out would make the trek a piece of cake, we set forward to conquer the mountain ahead of us. All that hours spent on the treadmill seemed no match to the rough terrain here. By the time we reached the top, our huffing and puffing made it impossible to speak for a while. Its only then we witnessed the true beauty of the place. As far as the eye could see, it was nothing but mountains all around us.

We selected our respective rocky thrones and just sat that in complete silence. When the mind and heart is taking-in the sights, the mouth just shuts!!! A little while later we spotted some dark clouds gathering miles ahead of us. It was too far away to bother us. We didn't want to leave the place just yet. How often do you get to spend time like this. The camera kept clicking for a while even as the dark clouds became darker. We couldn't say if it was raining or if it was just gloomy. We were just starting to walk down when we got our answer. The rain hit us so hard and so suddenly, that we were instantly drenched even as we tried to beat the rains in a one-on-one bout. But we were badly beaten by the Rain Gods. Battle weary and soaking wet, we reached the foot of the hill (but not before clicking a few more pics) and took shelter from the ravaging rains for a good three-quarters of an hour.

The waterfall which was a trickle just an hour before is now looking very menacing. We took pictures again to distinguish the Before and After the Rains. The once-dry-forest now resembled a tropical rain forest. Everything changed around here so quickly. It was as if the Rain Gods heard us cribbing and just unleashed His wrath on us. And ain't we glad He did!!! The whole trip suddenly turned to be one of the best short trips of my life. It was definitely going to be a memorable one too.

Even after having got all that we wanted from the trip, we still dared to dream for more. The weather was perfect for some HOT Mirchi Bhajjis and Cool Thumbs-Up. Well, this was a day we could ask for heaven on Earth and get it. Hell yeah, we got some "OOOL Drinks" and Michi Bhajjis and Alu Bondas on the way back. We came back home an hr and half later, soaking wet, physically exhausted, near-broken backs and head full of memories to last a life-time.

Getting There: Take the Bannerghatta Road out of Bangalore. Follow route to OTIS Factor->Bannerghatta Bus Depot-> Anekal. Keep an eye-out to the right, for signboards leading to Muthyalamaduvu.

Must-Do: Trek the hillock up to the other side. Have yummilicious bhajjis on the way back.

Must-Don't: Carry Food and litter around. You can get food all along the way.

Trekking Difficulty: 1.5/5

Useless Advice: Curse the Rain-Gods if there isn't much water.

Must-Click: Mummy Daddy Residential Laoyout right after a major temple.

My Rating: 6/10 (Thanks to the Rains)